Improvement in burnishing apparatus for photographs



E. R. WESTON.

imprvement in Burnishing Apparatus for Photographs No. 131,320. Patanted Sep.10,18?2

U NITED. STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

EMILE It. WESTON, OF EAST CORINTH, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT lN BURNISHING APPARATUS FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,320, dated September 10, 1872.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE It. WEsTON, of East Corinth, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Burnisher for Photographs; and I hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same, which will enable others to make and use my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation Fig. 2, an end view.

Same letters show like parts.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine for burnishing photographs which shall do its work easily and rapidly and impart abetter finish to the picture than is done by any of the means new in use. One of the principal features of my device is the use of a concave burnishing-tool working upon a convexbed. This form leaves the picture smoothly and evenly attached to the card. The burnisher is applied with pressure, and is also heated.

I will now describe my machine by references to the drawing.

A shows the bed-piece, to which the apparatus is attached, provided with screws or clamps for securing it to a bench or table. At 1) is seen the convex bed, of some hard material, upon which the photograph is placed. 0 c are standards, having slots at the top, through which passes a rod or bar, (1, to which, at c, is securely fastened the burnisher f, which is composed of metal, similar to the shape shown. This burnisher I prefer to have of cast-iron, with its lower edge g (which is turned up, and is concave on its lower side to fit the convex bed b) case-hardened and highly polished. At h t are set-screws fixed in the top of the standards 0 0, so that by turning them down they press upon the rod d, and

force it and the attached buruisher f down upon the bed I) and picture. 7 shows alever to operate the burnisher, having its fulcrum in the bed-piece A and secured to the rod (1 at 7c. Atl is a lamp, by which the burnisher f is heated.

The operation of burnishing a picture is as follows: The lamp 1 is lighted and the burnisher f is allowed to remain over it till suffrciently warm; usually about five minutes will suffice. By means of the screws h i it is pressed down close to the convex bed I), and the picture inserted between them under the edge of the burnisher, which is drawn over it by means of the lever j. The ends of the picture are then reversed and the operation repeated. Two strokes each way will usually suffice to give a fine polish. The pressure exerted by the screws h 11 assists greatly in burnishing, and the concavity of the tool f, together with the convexity of the bed, serve, as it were, to stretch the picture upon the card. If their shape were the reverse of this, or if both were flat, the picture would pucker instead of polishing.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a burnisher for photographs the combination of theconcave burnisher f and the convex bed I), substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the above, the stand ards c 0, rod 6?, and pressure-screws h 1', substantially as described.

3. I11 combination with the elements mentioned in the above claims, the lamp 1 and lever j, all being arranged and operated substantially as specified, for the purposes set forth.

EMILE E. WESTON. Witnesses:

T. MCDONALD, N. K. DEXTER. 

